Georgette Valle of Burien will soon release her second book, "Courageous Women", which compares specific women mentioned in the Bible to accomplished, well-known women of our day. Many in the West Seattle and White Center area know Valle a former member of the State House, and Burien City Council.

Former political powerhouse, Burien's Georgette Valle, to release second book, "Courageous Women"

By

10/26/2012

In her first book, "Always a Rebel and Never Without a Cause", Burien's iconic long-time resident, Georgette Vikingstad Valle, takes us back to the days of the Vikings, and through her political life.

"That book was about my life primarily, as a legislator, and reprinted articles that have been in the Highline Times, Seattle Times, the sort of thing," she said of her 2007 effort with her portrait on the cover.

Valle served 24 years in the State House, four years with the Burien City Council, and has been a Burien Lions Club member, most active since 1996. Her husband, Odd, who passed away last April, was a Club Zone Chairman and Governor. He began his dentistry practice in Burien, and remained practicing there for 42 years. More recently they divided their time between Burien and Green Valley, Arizona, where she ran for Senate four years ago. She said she knew she'd lose as a Democrat in a Republican district, but felt it was nevertheless important to take a stand for her party's beliefs.

In her new book, "Courageous Women", Classic Day/Peanut Butter Publishing, set to be released in November, Valle casts a wider net as she compares modern day, accomplished, famous women to those from the Bible, both the Old Testament, containing Hebrew Scriptures, and the New Testament. For example, she links Deborah, pronounced "Dvora" in Hebrew, who appears in the Book of Judges, with former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Valle believes their brand of courage makes them kindred spirits. Deborah is the only female judge mentioned in the Bible, and was said to live about 1,100 B.C., and O'Connor was of course the first female Judge to serve on the Supreme Court.

"Deborah was a jurist, and people came to her from all over Israel and they met underneath a palm tree," said Valle. "Deborah is very interesting because she is asked to lead an army against Israel's foes, the Canaanites, and they'd been under the Canaanites' rule and were oppressed for 20 years. She said to General Barak, 'Now you understand when I help you I'm going to get the credit first before you when I win this."

Valle refers to Judges 4:1-24 that says Deborah, with an army, and God's help, defeated the commander of the Canaanite army, Sisera who had 900 chariots of iron. He ended up with a tent steak through his temple.

"The Biblical Deborah served her nation in a position that, at the time, it was unusual for women to hold, and to prove herself to be an influential and courageous leader who helped to free people from oppression," writes Valle in the book. She continues, "In many ways, Sandra Day O'Connor , the first woman justice on the U.S. Supreme Court and a strong advocate of women's and civil rights, is a modern counterpart of Deborah."

Valle is a bit of a tease as she suggests people purchase her book to discover the other kindred spirits she compares. Included, but not in matching order, are Bathsheba, Queen Esther, Oprah Winfrey, and Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient detained for years under house arrest in Burma when her popular political party won the election.

"There wasn't very much in the Bible about some of these women," said Valle of the historic, familiar names. "There were women who had wealth of their own and traveled with Christ and gave room and board to the disciples. It wasn't easy for a woman and travel in those days.

"Outside of women having children, women were not regarded very highly, and what I am trying to say is that they did a very decent and admiral job," she said, referring to Biblical days. "People should really look at this and see how it can help us today in our lives. You need to have the minister inclusive of women (in a sermon.) Today there are so many women (in leadership roles.) Look at what Hillary is doing, what Rosalynn Carter did. As the First Lady she advised her husband and played an active role in government policy."

She responded humbly, "I think it's up to somebody else to say who I might be likened to."

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